Step off the ferry at Cruz Bay and St. John gets going right away: beach bars by the harbour, Jeeps winding toward the North Shore, and the green hills of Virgin Islands National Park rising behind town. Of the roughly 20-square-mile US Virgin Island, nearly two-thirds is protected parkland — and that single fact shapes everything about a holiday here.
Rather than a place you admire from a resort deck, St. John is one you drive through, hike and swim. The North Shore road links a string of standout beaches: Trunk Bay, famous for its roughly 400-foot underwater snorkeling trail; Hawksnest; Cinnamon Bay; Francis Bay; and Maho Bay, where the water is usually calm and sea turtles show up regularly on snorkels. Across the road from Maho's sand, Maho Crossroads adds drinks, food and live music on select days — a very St. John mix of serious beauty without taking itself too seriously.
A Jeep makes the island far easier to explore, though taxis run between Cruz Bay and the North Shore beaches. Trunk Bay is only about 15 minutes from town.
Where to stay depends on your style. St. John is one of the Caribbean's great villa islands, and hillside homes like Maho Bay House — infinity pool, chef's kitchen, separate bedroom suites and a four-minute walk to the beach — put you inside the national park rather than next to it. Blue Sky Luxury Travels maintains a strong villa portfolio, with notable options around Peter Bay too. Newer to the mix, The Saint Resort opened in 2025 as an adults-only boutique hotel a five-minute walk from central Cruz Bay, with pools, a spa, cold plunge and an upstairs restaurant called Aerial — a good pick for couples who want walkable nightlife plus resort comforts. Families still gravitate to The Westin St. John Resort Villas, whose units run from studios up to 2,850-square-foot three-bedroom townhouses; the property was slated to have 200 villas after a $35 million expansion completed following its 2013 announcement, and it runs its own ferry from St. Thomas. At the budget-friendly end, the 10-room Cruz Bay Boutique Hotel puts you steps from town's bars and restaurants, with a May rate check finding rooms from $255 per night.
That town deserves real time. Cruz Bay is compact and walkable, with the ferry dock dropping you minutes from restaurants, shops, charter boats and watering holes like the Beach Bar, home of the island's signature Painkiller. Evenings here bring live music and an easy drift between a handful of blocks.
Getting there is part of the charm: St. John has no airport, so you fly into St. Thomas and take a roughly 20-minute ferry from Red Hook straight into Cruz Bay. US citizens travelling from the mainland don't need a passport, though it's worth confirming current ID requirements before booking.
For travellers who want Caribbean beauty they can actually get inside — snorkelling with turtles in the morning, a Painkiller by the water in the afternoon — St. John is hard to beat.
Original reporting by Caribbean Journal.